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Mad Dog never tells Archie his real name.
Every time Archie even tries to ask he’s cut off by an eye roll or a gruff ‘stop’.
Archie doesn't even know why he cares.
Well… he does but he’s still trying to pretend like he doesn’t.
(He’s still trying to pretend that every time his cellmate calls him Red, he’s not hoping he’ll call him Archie. He’s still trying to pretend that he doesn’t want to know Mad Dog’s name because he thinks it’ll even out the playing field. He’s still trying to pretend that he doesn't think that Mad Dog calling him Archie might just make him pass out. And he’s really trying to pretend he isn't hoping that Mad Dog telling him his real name might give Archie the same omnipotent power that Mad Dog has over him.)
He keeps asking in spite of his cellmate’s nonanswers.
Archie asks him if his name is Charles, or James, or Thomas. And he gets the most response he's gotten since he started badgering him. A slight furrow of the brow, a little shake of the head. Archie almost cheers in his joy.
The next day, he asks him if he’s named something out of the norm. Mad Dog raises a brow. Like Basil or Roderick or, oh, I don't know, Malachai, Arch explains. Mad Dog smiles a little bit (Archie feels like he’s just been shot in the stomach by one of those t-shirt canons Reggie loves to mess around with) and jokes, you think my mama would name me something like Malachai. Archie shrugs. Mad Dog (honestly Archie feels very stupid calling him that over and over in his head) smiles a bit wider, she’d whack me upside the head if she knew that I’d somehow made you think that was my name.
Archie isn’t particularly smart or observant but he likes the smile that Mad Dog gets, almost involuntarily, whenever he talks about his family (it’s somewhat sad and wistful but its the most beautiful smile Archie’s ever seen), so he asks what his brother’s name is. Mad Dog gets this look on his face, half sad-half shock, and he mutters, James, and Archie feels this indescribable need to comfort him, to make him smile again, to do anything to stop him from looking so Goddamned sad. And it’s before he realises what he’s doing that he’s suddenly hugging Mad Dog and Archie’s almost too aware of how stiff his cellmate is. Archie doesn’t move and Mad Dog doesn’t push him away, simply sits, relaxes slightly, and looks away from the red-haired boy.
Archie doesn’t sleep very well nowadays, he’s noticed that Mad Dog doesn’t either. Usually, when Archie can’t sleep he’ll message Jug, or Betty, or anyone really; Mad Dog isn’t a conversationalist. Sometimes he’ll bounce a ball, or read a book, or even hum very quietly. Archie finds everything that Mad Dog does simultaneously distracting and soothing. It’s different tonight, even though it’s not. Mad Dog does the same as always, hums a little and bounces a ball, and yet tonight Archie feels almost like he's humming to him, like the ball is bouncing to a beat specifically made for Archie. It’s founded on nothing. And it's hopeful and stupid and yet… Archie finds himself muttering a thank you, silently wishing he had a name to tack on to the end of it because calling him Mad Dog seems so inappropriate for a moment like this.
Another sleepless night. Another quiet moment between them. Archie has no idea when or why their mutual silence as they try to pass the time has become “moments” to him but they have and he finds himself leaning into that definition. Finds himself looking into every little thing that Mad Dog does because Archie has finally accepted that he has a crush. He’s still aching to know his cellmate’s name but he’s stopped asking, he, once again, doesn't know why but it seemed like he should, so he did. Mad Dog is lying quiet and still for once, no ball, no book, no singing, his eyes are glued to the ceiling and Archie both wishes he would look at him and that he won't. William, Mad Dog murmurs, his voice loud in their confined space. For a moment Archie thinks he might be asleep and that he's dreaming of some other boy but then Mad Dog says, my name. And Archie grins, Will, he says, William looks at him, he’s smiling too, it suits you.